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Monday, September 30, 2013

Brown Butter Gooey S'mores Bars

Ugh. It's like...officially fall and stuff.

I feel like a toddler throwing a tantrum, "I DON'T WANNA I DON'T WANNA I DOOON'T WAAANNNAAA NOOOOO" but I just...I just want summer to stay a bit longer. So, I'm going to just be in denial (much like a child thinking if they cover their eyes you can't see them) and have s'mores bars and pretend it's still summer. *le sigh*

Seriously, though, I just love s'mores. Just thinking of them makes me happy. Literally, in the days prior to baking these I was just giddy at the thought. Michael had a sore throat and had read marshmallows helped...so he asked me to go buy marshmallows. And I was STOKED! Buying marshmallows means I'll have to use up whatever is leftover (which in this case meant the whole bag, minus 2), which means I have a valid reason to make some S'MORES DESSERTS! Yessss!

These are so good that, after a tiny bite of 5 day old bar, my cousin Emily said, "It's a good thing you're not my girlfriend because you'd definitely make me fat." (this was in reference to Michael's earlier claim of getting fat-which he's not, for the record) I'll take that praise.

Now, I browned the butter in the super soft, chewy blondie base for these s'mores bars (because if I see melted butter, I'm gonna brown it) BUT you can totally skip that step. Honestly, you could barely detect a difference: there are pretty much more mix ins (graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows) than batter, so they definitely are the prevailing flavors. Regardless, you end up with wonderful soft cookies loaded with DELICIOUS pieces of graham cracker (prob. my fave part, I highly recommend homemade graham crackers), marshmallows that are gooey and have been toasted to a pretty golden brown in the oven, and gorgeous chunks of oozing chocolate. Oh and you just mix em up in one bowl-minimal dishes and no mixer
needed, just a whisk
and spatula!

S'mores are heaven. And they (almost) can make me forget that it's fall.

If browning the butter: In a (preferably light colored) saucepan, melt butter over medium heat and whisk constantly as it foams, bubbles, and eventually little brown specks form and it turns an amber color. Immediately remove from heat and pour into a large, heatproof, bowl. Let cool until warm, not hot, so as not to scramble the egg. (If just using melted butter just melt the butter in the bowl and let cool a bit as well.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8"x8" baking pan
with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.

Once butter has cooled, whisk in the egg, brown sugar, and vanilla until smooth.

Pour batter into prepared pan, smooth the top lightly with the spatula.

Bake 20-22 minutes until the edges are set and the middle is just firm.

Cool in pan at least 30 minutes before removing and slicing. Cut into 9-12 pieces, once cooled. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.